I was introduced to computers and the early microprocessors during my studies at college. At that time computers were large mainframes hidden in a data centre and the only access was using punch cards. My first full time job when I graduated was with Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) as a field engineer. At that time there were a limited number of engineering jobs available in my field of study of Medical Electronics and Avionics.

What is your favorite HPE technology to work on and why?

Hewlett Packard Enterprise has a large product offering not only in hardware but also software and services, so it is hard to choose. However, if I have to narrow my selection, I would say the servers and storage products. This is because servers and storage products serve as the basis for all IT solutions, in fact, the backbone of any solution.

The most interesting and enjoyable experience is when you have to integrate all the different products and services offered by HPE to achieve a good business outcome for the customer.

Tell us about a customer issue and how you overcame it using the knowledge you gained from HPE?

My recent success story included both technical and business requirements. The main issue was to overcome the client’s corporate alignment to a specific storage vendor. This particular security division uses different applications to gather security logs from many sources within a very short period. It is essential all the data be analyzed and stored during this short timeframe, without any loss of data. HP quad processor servers (DL580 G7 & Gen8) had been used for many years running VMWare and Linux VMs to meet virtualization and application requirements. To improve the performance of their legacy servers without replacing them, I proposed HPE IO accelerator to improve the IOPS to the locally attached storage. This solved one problem of having multiple servers each with their own storage which caused problems when they had to move large amounts of data between the servers running different security analysis programs. I recommended they move to shared storage. This was a cost-prohibitive option because of the requirement to use the corporate SAN and each division was charged for the use of this storage. This solution was also not flexible enough to meet the changes in the client’s environment

I proposed a HPE 3PAR array using a mix of SSD and fast HDD with expansion to meet future growth to offer my client a high performing array with mixed workloads at a much lower cost per MB compared to the corporate storage. To avoid using the “SAN” storage, I proposed 10Gb iSCSI which fit into their extensive 10Gb network. After explaining the benefits of 3PAR, the client implemented this solution. The client’s feedback was very positive and more than happy with the server and 3PAR performance to meet their business needs. In fact, the servers are now being upgraded to DL380 Gen9 with IO accelerators which will be more than enough for their growing environment, while reducing costs, as well as power, and space needs. This telco client is now looking into expanding and purchasing additional 3PAR arrays and investigating the use of additional functionality that 3PAR has to offer, such as HPE StoreOnce Recovery Manager Central (RMC) for backups, virtual copy and replication for DR.

The main point is with my HPE server and storage certifications I understood the clients’ requirements and could offer an integrated HPE solution that allowed for flexibility in the future. The client mentioned on many occasions the trust he had in my ability to solve his problems based on my extensive product knowledge, experience, and HPE certifications which showed him HPE trusts me to sell their solutions.

What are the benefits of being a Master ASE?

It shows my employer that I possess the right skills, training, and the recognized industry-based qualifications. When dealing with customers, It gives them confidence that any HPE solution I proposed is based not only on experience but come with validation from HPE, that I have the training and knowledge to provide the most optimal solution to meet the customers’ business requirements.

What's your tip for others interested in HPE certifications?

It is a worthwhile effort to earn an HPE certification. No matter how much you think you know, the training leading to certification always has something to teach you. HPE certifications give your peers and customers confidence in your ability.

As a Master ASE, you will be recognized as having reached the pinnacle in HPE Certifications. Customers will rely on you to bring rich technical skills to design and implement their most complex solutions. You’ll also see personal and business rewards while being able to network and share with one of the most exclusive teams in the industry.

SarahA

I’ve been in marketing in high-tech for 15+ years. With HPE now for 6; prior I managed social and marketing communications for an inflight Internet company. I love telling stories about our customers and partners. I&#39;m excited to do that here for Partner Ready Certification and Learning.